It was one of the lazy, clickbaity takeaways from a brilliant midseason showdown between Oklahoma City and Cleveland — this is not the NBA Finals the league or fans want. The idea is that the NBA and its fans (or, at least casual fans who drive the biggest ratings) want established stars in major markets. It’s why the highest-rated game on Christmas Day was LeBron James’ Lakers at Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors, even though both teams are “mid” this season.
That highly entertaining Cavaliers win highlighted the young players and quality basketball the league should be highlighting — focus on the product.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a star — two-time All-Star and All-NBA who finished second in MVP voting last season while leading the Thunder to the best record in the West — but one just breaking out into the consciousness of more casual fans. He’s also in one of the league’s smallest markets. After Wednesday night’s game, SGA was asked if market size still matters to stars (quote via Jason Llyod of The Athletic).
“I can only speak for myself. I love Oklahoma City and I can’t see a world where I’m not in Oklahoma City,” he said. “I’m comfortable where I am. I like where I am. I love the people in the organization, love the people around me, and those are the things that matter. I go to work every day with a smile on my face. Me personally, the market doesn’t matter. The money doesn’t matter to a certain extent. But as long as I enjoy what I’m doing at a very high level, I love the people that I’m around doing it.”
The money is going to come for Alexander, who has already qualified for a supermax with his next contract. This summer, the Thunder can offer him a four-year extension (the longest they can go because he still has two years on his current contract), but he will likely want to wait until the summer of 2026 because then he can sign a supermax estimated to be worth $314 million.
Those massive contracts can change the calculations for star players in a way they did not a couple of decades ago. Also, the media landscape and how players market themselves and communicate with fans have changed dramatically in the past 25 years. With all that, a star doesn’t need to get to a major market to maximize his income. Players will still want to live in Los Angeles, Miami, or New York — and many do in the off-season — but their livelihood is not tied to getting to those markets the same way it may have been decades ago.
Gilgeous-Alexander knows that winning is what helps his brand most, and the Thunder are built to do that for a long time. He’s happy there, so why would he want the drama of moving to another team and market?
What matters to SGA is he likes it in OKC. It’s up to the NBA to market that team, not wish he’d move to another city.
